New study: Hitting children in school linked with poorer test scores later on

20 Nov 2015

A new study from Young Lives shows that corporal punishment is still common in countries where it is outlawed, and have shown a link between schoolchildren experiencing corporal punishment and later test scores. Our researchers found that corporal punishment experienced by eight-year-old children is linked with lower maths scores when the same children reach the age of 12 as compared with their peers who did not report being hit. The research based on surveys also reveals that boys and poorer children were the most likely to report being struck by their teachers.

The research, by Dr Kirrily Pells and Maria Jose Ogando, drew on surveys with 8,000 children in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. In India, nearly eight out of ten eight-year-old children interviewed by researchers said they had been hit in the last week. More than nine out of ten eight-year-old Indian children said they had seen someone else being struck in school that week. In Peru and Vietnam, more than half of the eight-year-old children surveyed said they had seen someone else being hit in the school in the last week; one-third of eight-year-old children in Peru and one-fifth in Vietnam said they had been struck themselves in the week before the survey. Eight out of ten children in Ethiopia reported seeing corporal punishment being used in their school.

The children’s surveys show the reported incidence of corporal punishment among children at the age of eight was twice that of 15 year olds (in all four countries). Boys were significantly more likely than girls to say they had experienced corporal punishment. The study suggests that gender norms might play a part so hitting boys may be perceived as more acceptable by wider society in the countries studied. It adds that it is important to note that girls are often at greater risk of other forms of humiliating treatment and sexual violence, according to existing academic literature.

Lead researcher Dr Kirrily Pells said: ‘The Young Lives longitudinal data tracks the same children throughout their childhood. This way, we were able to identify links between earlier experiences of corporal punishment and academic performance later in school. Previous studies have found negative consequences associated with corporal punishment, including students being absent and feeling scared and confused. What’s new is that our results suggest that corporal punishment has a lasting impact on children’s education. Since poorer children are more likely to be hit that reinforces educational disadvantages.

In all four countries greater efforts are needed to make school a safe place for children. Although corporal punishment is prohibited, a large gap exists between the law and the daily reality experienced by many children. Greater attention is required to tackle the culture in some schools that prevents such laws being implemented properly. This study also shows that good teaching practices should also be promoted if we are to build safe, supportive environments for all children to flourish.’